Brooklyn Nets dismissed Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in James Harden, sources say

When Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey reached out to Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks on Jan. 11, they started with the usual pleasantries of basketball executives still a month away from Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

Who do you like on our roster? Here’s who I like on yours.

Eventually, Morey spoke up on the true intention of his call.

“What about James?”

“James who?” Marks responded.

The Nets do have two James — Johnson and Harden.

“James Harden.”

“No,” Marks said flatly.

That exchange four weeks ago represents the single, direct communication between Morey and Marks this season, sources told ESPN. However brief the conversation, messages were delivered in each direction: The Sixers planned a pursuit of Harden, and the Nets had no intention of surrender.

With three days to go until the trade deadline, this is where the dialogue has remained. Yes, Morey could still pick up the phone and call Marks this week. The Sixers’ ownership group have a strong relationship with Nets owner Joe Tsai, so communication can happen on that level, too.

For now, the lack of clarity centered on Harden’s intentions represent the axis on which the circumstances could shift in the Nets’ murky partnership with him. Harden can become a free agent after this season, and while he has continued to tell his Nets teammates, coaches and the front office that he is committed to winning in Brooklyn long term, his actions on and away from the court suggest some ambivalence.

Harden hasn’t had an agent in several years, but he does have a business manager, Lorenzo McCloud. When Harden wanted out of Houston before the 2020 season, he commissioned agents Jason Ranne and Chafie Fields at Wasserman to work with the Houston Rockets and rival teams to facilitate a…